The African railway infrastructure is intimately tied to the content’s colonial events and it’s subsequent for economic independence and determination. In the early days of colonial rule, railways played a crucial role in shaping the continent’s economic landscape, which was mostly dictated by the desires of the colonial masters.
The Alexander-Cairo railway, constructed in the mid-19th century, is among the aerliest debuts–propelling the need to colonize the interior parts of Africa which proved futile and unreachable at the time.
Railways were majorly built to connect mines, plantations, and sea ports to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products, minerals, and raw materials to the then flourishing European industry and markets.
As seen in the modern railway system and its systemic use, it was a means to consoldated colonial control, enabling movement of trooops and effiicnet administration of the hinterlands.
Major railway infrastructures on the continent were built in the late 20th century with a renewed focus on modernizing and expanding intra-African trade, economic cooperation, and flawless cross-border movement. But this was even enabled through old lines, though later abandoned due to lack of investment and rampant political instability.
The rise of road transport, which offered greater flexibility and accessibility, especially in rural areas, also posed a significant challenge to railways in the mid-20th century. This grounded several trains for decades.
As modern railway infrastructure is upgraded for the purpose of promoting regional integration to foster economic cooperation in different countries, funding constraints, technical difficulties, and political instability still remain a constant challenge.
The insights below are based on the CIA Factbook, which tracks the development and the length and railway connectivity Today, South Africa has the most railway network coverage in Africa, spanning more than 30,000 km.
